Three Words
by FannyR
Summary: I hope I'm not the only one who expected these three words to be I LOVE YOU. MSR


"Mulder are you okay?" asked Scully as she cautiously opened the door and entered the room.

"Yeah. For a guy who was, in a coffin not too long ago I think I'm doing pretty damn well. I don't quite have my legs under me yet," he replied while limping to the opposite end of room, short pauses between each step.

"Well, you might want to consider sitting down. We have something to tell you."

He turned around to face her and sat down as ordered.

"It's, good news. Actually, it's miraculous news," she said, smiling brightly at him.

"I can't possibly exaggerate the inconceivability of you sitting here. Let's be honest; your condition may be more incredible than your recovery," explained the doctor who was standing just next to Scully, before letting her go on with the excellent news.

"Whatever neurological disorder you were suffering from, it's no longer detectable. After a course of transfusions and antivirals, your body rid itself of the virus that was invading it. The scars on your face, on your hands, on your feet, on your chest, seem to be repairing themselves. Mulder you are in perfect health!"

"Wow!" said Mulder.

"How do you feel Agent Mulder?" enquired the doctor.

"Like Austin Powers," he replied.

Scully continued staring at him in incredulity and chuckled; he hadn't lost his _unique_ sense of humor; she couldn't believe he was back for good.

* * *

They didn't speak at all on their way to Mulder's apartment. A certain coldness and distance had grown between them since Mulder had been resurrected; preventing them from being delighted at finally seeing each other again; and stopping them from telling each other what had to be said now that they were reunited.

Scully opened the door of Mulder's apartment, let him walk in and then closed the door behind her.

"Must feel good to be home," she mumbled quietly as they stood in his home.

Mulder didn't reply verbally to her affirmation, but contented himself with nodding. It felt so strange to be home. He carefully studied the walls and the furniture, remembering all the times they had spent together in his apartment.

Then, the two of them walked towards Mulder's living room.

"Something looks different," Mulder commented, while looking around.

"It's clean," answered Scully, her tone bordering on sarcastic.

Mulder chuckled, "And that's it."

Scully was nervous and kept rubbing her hands. She hated this kind of impersonal conversation. God knew, they had so much more to talk about than this. But somehow he continued elude her, avoiding confrontation.

Mulder bent down and looked at his aquarium "Molly's missing," he said slowly.

"Yeah. She wasn't as lucky as you," replied Scully.

She couldn't stand it anymore. She had to tell him what she had gone through, how much she had missed him and that she'd never stopped loving him; even after he "died."

"Mulder, I don't know if you'll ever understand what it was like. First learning of your abduction, searching for you and then finally finding you dead. And now you're back…" she trailed off.

"Well you act like you're surprised," he interrupted, but she didn't pay attention to his comment and just continued talking.

"I prayed a lot. And my prayers have been answered."

"In more ways than one," he observed calmly.

"Yeah," she acknowledged and looked down at her swollen belly.

"I'm happy for you. I know how much that means to you."

He had to say it, because he loved her, and wanted her to be happy. But it hurt. The thought that someone else had given her this joy, this chance of experiencing motherhood, hurt badly.

"Mulder," she said, interrupting his reflections. He thought he knew what was coming and definitely didn't want to hear it, so he decided to interrupt her before she got the opportunity to pronounce these painful words.

"I'm sorry. I don't mean to be cold or ungrateful. I just have no idea where I fit in right now," he said.

Scully's eyes became watery and her lips trembled. She knew she had to say something, to explain her pregnancy; but words were failing her.

"I just…I'm having a little trouble processing everything," explained Mulder, his words more of an attempt at self-defense, than a conscious attempt at hurting her. He turned away from her and stared out the window.

Scully was devastated. All her dreams of a happy family life with Mulder at her side seemed to have been shattered in the space of a few seconds. His words broke her and he didn't even notice it.

"Mulder! Please turn round and look at me," she pleaded, her voice shaking considerably.

"What is it?" he asked quietly, facing her.

"Why? I understand that you've been through hell and that maybe you're having trouble dealing with it, but now you're back, you're healthy and I'm here with you. I won't allow you to turn your back on me!" she exclaimed.

"I'm not turning my back on you, Scully."

"You are."

"Am not."

"Then why are you being so distant? You're acting like I was a stranger to you! If I'm not mistaken we were lovers before you were abducted." she said as the first tear slowly rolled down along her cheek.

"Well, it didn't keep you from starting a new life from what I can see," he replied dryly, pointing to her swollen belly.

Scully shook her head; she couldn't believe that Mulder truly meant what he was saying. She was crying now.

"Mulder! I waited seven years for you to confess your love to me. Do you really believe that I would fall in love with someone else only a few weeks after your disappearance?"

"I only know what I see," he answered.

"Since when have you only believed in things you can see? Mulder I can't even imagine loving another man. This is our baby; I can't explain how it happened, but somehow I got pregnant," she explained passionately.

"But you can't have children and you said that the in-vitro procedure didn't take," Mulder stated, confused.

"And you told me to never give up on a miracle."

His fear and anger disappeared at the hearing of her words. How could he have doubted her love? It couldn't be someone else's baby!

He walked towards her, took her face into his hands and with his thumb, wiped away her tears, then kissed her on the forehead.

"I'm sorry. I never should have questioned our love. I let myself be carried away by how quickly everything was happening, and wasn't looking at everything rationally," Mulder apologized.

"_I love you_ Mulder. I could never cheat on you," she whispered softly to him.

"_I love you_ too," he replied, bending down and kissing her passionately. While they deepened the kiss, his hands wandered from her neck to her back and finally rested on her belly, which he began to caress gently.

It definitely felt good to be home.

* * *

as alway: please review

PS: special thanks to Dreamer20715 for proposing to be my beta-reader on this story


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